Game-counter



' 2 SheetsSheet 1. E. MEISE.

GAME COUNTER.

(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 13,1887.

2 Sheets-Sheet v 2.

(No Model.)

B. MBISE.

GAME COUNTER.

Patented Dec. 13. 18.87.

N PETERS, Phnln-Lilbog wM wuhimmp. a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDUARD MEISE, OF ALLEGHENY CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME-COUNTERQ SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.374,803. dated December 13, 1887.

Application filed June- 28, 1887. Serial No. 242,72. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, EDUARD Mnisn, of Allegheny City, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof'Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to indicators or counters, and more especially to that class where a dial and a rotating indicatonfinger are employed; audit has for its object to provide an apparatus which is simple in construction, at the same time positive in action, and requires but slight manipulation to operate it.

To these ends my invention consists,'generally, in a dial having a suitable number of marks thereon attached to or formed on asuit able disk, an indicator-finger carried loosely on an arbor mounted in the center of said dial, an arm pivoted at one end to this finger, and

a tension-spring attached to the other end of said arm and tothe finger, and means for forcing said finger and arm apart; and the invention also consists in a graduated dial attached to or formed on a suitable disk, an indicator-finger mounted in the center of said dial, an annular ratchet-face attached to said disk, an arm pivoted at one end to the finger on one side of the center and carrying at its other end a spring-pawl which engages the ratchet-face, a tension-sprin g connected at one end to the indicator-finger and at its other end to the arm, and a vertically-moving wedge or cam for forcing said arm and finger apart, so

section on the line :0 00, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section on the line y y, Fig. 1.

The apparatus consists of a dial, or, preferably of cast metal, the lower surface of which is plain to serve as a supporting-face, while the other or upper surface is provided with the annular graduated face I), the graduations on which are numberedaccording to the use to which the indicator is to be put. \Vithin this graduated face there is also formed on the disk b an annular ratchet-toothed face, 0, engaged by a ratchet, hereinafter described, and within this ratchet-face is formed on or attached to the disk a tubular arbor, d, on which is loosely mounted an indicator-finger, e, which extends out to the graduated face 5, and is preventedfrom slipping off the arbor d by the latter being flanged over, as at d, Fig. 3, or by a ring or flange being secured to the upper edge of the arbor. The interior diameter of the arbor d is sufficientlylarge to allow a vertically-operating tubular wedge to recede therein, this wedge f consisting of a tube provided at its lower end with a conical or tapering face, f, and a passage therein for a headed rod, 9, the lower end of which screws into asocket in the center of the dial a and within the arbor d. Above the head of this rod 9 and within the tubef is a coiled spring, h, and above this spring and closing the end of the tube is the head or knob i, which is securely attached thereto by a set-screw, j, or other suitable means. The effect of the spring h is to keept-he tubular wedgefin araised position unless force is applied upon the knob i, when the spring will be compressed between the head f and the knob i.

Pivoted to the indicatorfinger e, on one side of the arbor d, is an arm, is, which extends backward to the other side of the arbor and carries upon its rear end a piece of spring metal, Z, which is bent downward and extends in the opposite direction to its movement, so

applied on the knob i, the spring h is compressed and the tapering face f of the tube forces the arm is outward until the springpawl Z engages the next tooth of the ratchetface c-that is, from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to that in full lines. The greatest diameter of the tapering face is so proportioned that the distance which the finger c and arm k are forced apart will be just sufficient to expand the spring at an amount equivalent to the movement necessary to be imparted by the contraction of the spring to move the finger e one or more spaces, as desired. As soon as the pressure on the knob i is released, the spring h forces thetube f upward, when the spring m, which was expanded by the outward movement of the arm in, contracts and draws the index finger around the arbor one space of the scale-that is,from the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, to that shown in full lines-the arm 70 hearing at its rear end against the ratchet'tooth, while its pivoted end moves with the index-finger from the position shown in dotted lines to that in full lines. This pressure on the knob is applied ior each time the instrument is to register. For the purpose of preventing any possibility of the index-finger from movingbackward,a pawl, 0, is attached to the outer end of the finger, which pawl engages the ratchetteeth of the face 0 when any backward movement of the finger takes place.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In an indicator or counter, the combination of a dial, an index-finger mounted loosely on said dial, a ratchet-face on said dial, an arm pivoted at one end to the index-finger and having a pawl attached thereto, which engages said ratchet-face, an elastic connection between said finger and arm, and means for forcing them apart, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an indicator or counter, the combination of a dial having a graduated face thereon, an index finger loosely mounted on said dial, an arm pivoted at one end to said finger, an

elastic connection between said finger and arm, means for forcing said arm away from the finger, and means for holding the outer end of the arm at the end of its movement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination ofa dial having a graduated face and an annular ratchet toothed face thereon, an index-finger loosely mounted on said dial, an arm pivoted at one end to said finger and having on its other end a pawl which engages the teeth of said ratchet-face, an elastic connection between said arm and finger, and a wedge or cam for forcing said arm over the ratchet-face, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of a dial having a series of ratchet-teeth thereon, a finger or arm, 6, loosely mounted on said dial, an arm, is, pivoted at one end to said finger and carrying on its outer end a pawl which engages said ratchet-teeth, an elastic connection between said arm and finger,and a vertically-operating tubular spring-supported wedge, f, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a dial, at, having an annular ratchet face, 0, a finger, e, loosely mounted thereon, an arm, 7c, pivoted at one end to said finger and having on its other end a pawl, Z, which engages the teeth of said ratchet-face, a tubular wedge, f, having therein the spring h and rod 9, the lower end of which is attached to the dial a, and an elastic connection between said arm and finger, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said EDUARD MEISE, have hereunto set my hand.

EDUARD MEISE.

Witnesses:

N. S. STooKWELL, J AMES I. KAY. 

